System and method for assigning call priority

ABSTRACT

A method and system for providing destination-based call priority includes receiving a request to establish a connection to a dialed number. A priority for the connection is determined based on the dialed number. The connection is established based on the priority.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systemsand, more particularly, to a system and method for assigning callpriority.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Historically, telecommunications have involved a transmission of voiceand fax signals over a network dedicated to telecommunications, such asthe Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or a Private BranchExchange (PBX). Similarly, data communications between computers havealso historically been transmitted on a dedicated data network, such asa Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN).

Currently, telecommunications and data transmissions are being mergedinto an integrated communication network using technology such asVoice-over internet Protocol (VoIP). Since many LANs and WANs transmitcomputer data using Internet Protocol (IP), VoIP uses this existingtechnology to transmit voice and fax signals by converting these signalsinto digital data and encapsulating the data for transmission over an IPnetwork.

Many VoIP networks employ Class of Service (CoS)/Quality of Service(QoS) distinctions to route traffic through the network. CoS generallyrefers to partitioning the network traffic into prioritized groups. QoSgenerally refers to buffering and queuing traffic from endpoint toendpoint, ensuring a particular throughput level. Thus, CoS/QoS is asource-based priority assignment. Callers with a higher CoS/QoSordinarily receive preferential treatment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method for assigning callpriority that substantially eliminate or reduce the problems anddisadvantages associated with previous systems and methods. In aparticular embodiment, call priority is assigned, and thuscommunications network resources are allocated, based on the calldestination.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, amethod and system for assigning call priority includes receiving arequest to establish a connection to a dialed number. A priority for theconnection is determined based on the dialed number. The connection isestablished based on the priority.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodand system for assigning call priority includes receiving a request toestablish a connection to a dialed number. A call set-up packet isgenerated, a priority certificate is generated based on the dialednumber, and the call set-up packet is transmitted with the prioritycertificate. Network resources are allocated in accordance with thepriority as transmitted via the priority certificate. Requestedconnections with higher priorities may preempt other connections or bequeued for priority access to network resources as they becomeavailable. Additionally, network users may be notified that ahigh-priority connection is being attempted and requires the resourcesthe users are consuming.

A technical advantage of the present invention includes providing amethod and system for assigning destination-based call priority. Inparticular, requests for connection in a communications network areallocated resources in accordance with the assigned priority of thetarget destination of the connection request. Accordingly, calls tohigher priority destinations are granted greater access to networkresources, ensuring that important calls are not blocked by a lack ofneeded network resources.

Another technical advantage of the present invention includes providinga method and system for allocating resources in a communicationsnetwork. In particular, requests for connection are assigned a prioritycertificate corresponding to a priority of the destination recalled.Accordingly, network resources may be allocated to calls tohigher-priority destinations, while calls to lower-priority destinationsmay be downgraded or preempted entirely. Thus, important calls, such ascalls to emergency numbers, are granted a higher-priority access tonetwork resources, resulting in a higher probability that importantcalls will connect in a timely manner.

Additional technical advantages include: ensuring resources foremergency calls; eliminating the need to keep dedicated resources foremergency calls; identifying the path that a high priority call isconfigured to take and pinpointing resources that must be reclaimed toconnect the high priority call; providing notification to low prioritycallers before preempting their bandwidth reservations; providingnotification to low priority callers before preempting their calls andtaking over their trunks; and providing a centralized server to controlthe overall priority settings in the system.

It will be understood that various embodiments of the present inventionmay have some, none, or all of the above and elsewhere describedtechnical advantages. In addition, other technical advantages of thepresent invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the artfrom the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following descriptions, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication network inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating details of the path analysis unitof FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for allocating networkresources in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for allocating networkresources in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a communications network 10 in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. Although a specific communicationsnetwork is illustrated in FIG. 1, the term “communications network”should be interpreted as generically defining any network capable oftransmitting telecommunication signals, data, and/or messages.

In the illustrated embodiment, communications network 10 includes aprivate network 12, a public network 14, and a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 16. Private network 12, public network 14, and PSTN 16are interconnected and coupled together via communications links 17. Aplurality of terminal units 18 are coupled to private network 12, publicnetwork 14, and PSTN 16. Communications network 10 may include anycomputer and/or communication network or other suitable packet switchednetwork including, but not limited to, the internet, intranets, localarea networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) or metropolitan areanetworks (MANs). Communications network 10 may include twisted pair,cable, optical fiber, or other suitable wire-line links and/or radiofrequency, microwave, infrared, or other suitable wireless links.Accordingly, terminal units 18 may include telephones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), computers, or any other wire-line or wireless devicescapable of voice communication over a distributed network. Forsimplicity, and in a non-limiting manner, terminal devices 18 are shownas telephones capable of connecting with a Voice-over IP (VoIP) system.Terminal devices 18 may be identified individually as specificextensions, such as in a standard telephone communications network, orby a dialed number, or by other means to identify each terminal unit 18as a unique unit.

Private network 12 includes a call manager 20, a certificate server 22,a plurality of routers 24, and a plurality of gateways 26. Publicnetwork 14 includes a plurality of routers 24 and gateways 26. Routers24 are operable to provide connections between terminal units 18 alongeach of the private network 12 and public network 14. As used in thisapplication, the term “each” refers to all of a particular subset.Gateways 26 are operable to communicate message traffic, for example,from private network 12, along communications link 17, to PSTN 16.Routers 24 are in communication with gateway 26 so as to providecommunication from public network 14 to PSTN 16. Network 12 and/ornetwork devices have computer processing units (CPUs), trunks, and otherassociated devices that process traffic based on priority. Priority maybe established by priority certificates, Class of service (CoS)assignment, Quality of Service (QoS) assignment, or reserved paths.

Call manager 20 includes priority module 30, prompting module 32, andpath analysis unit 34. Call manager 20 is operable to receive call setuprequests and other information from terminal units 18 and set upconnections so as to direct communications traffic through routers 24 tothe various requested destinations including, but not limited to,internal destinations as well as destinations outside of private network12. Call manager 20 may append a destination address to call packetssent from terminal unit 18 or may provide a destination address toterminal unit 18 during the call setup for terminal unit 18 to attach toits call packets.

Priority module 30 includes priority destination list 36. Prioritymodule 30 is operable to determine a priority for a requested connectionbased on a dialed number. This determination may be made by a tablelookup using the dialed number, using part of the dialed numberincluding information associated with the dialed number, and/ordetermined from or by using the dialed number or other suitable means.By noting the destination terminal device 18, priority module 30 isfurther operable to determine a relative priority of the requestedconnection. This is accomplished through priority destination list 36,which includes a data set regarding the various terminal devices 18 andtheir relative priority as destinations for requested connections.Priority distribution list 36 is operable to maintain a table ordatabase or otherwise suitably constructed to contain informationregarding the priority of destination terminal units 18. Prioritydistribution list 36 may be organized by the priority of destinationterminal units 18, the dialed number associated with a terminal unit 18,a combination of the two, or otherwise configured in accordance with thewishes of the network administrators. In one embodiment, the prioritydestination list 36 may be a table listing only the terminal devices 18that are considered to be of high priority. Alternatively, prioritydestination list 36 may include a list of all terminal units 18 and arelative priority for each as a destination. Priority distribution list36 may also include any number of terminal units 18 outside privatenetwork 12 including, but not limited to, destination terminal units 18that are coupled directly to private network 14 or PSTN 16.

Destination terminal units 18 may be assigned priority in a variety ofways. for example, emergency calls to emergency service—such as911—could receive highest priority, calls to high-level executivesnext-highest priority, and all other calls routine priority. Thus, acall to an emergency number would receive the highest priority access tonetwork resources, and therefore would be the first to receive networkresources as they become available.

Prompting module 32 is operable to communicate messages relating to thestatus of network services and the relative priority of calls to each ofthe terminal units 18 of private network 12. For example, and in anon-limiting embodiment, prompting module 32 is operable to play arecorded message to the users operating terminal units 18 that resourcesare needed for a high-priority call. In an alternative embodiment,prompting module 32 is operable to send a message displayed upon ascreen or as a flashing light of terminal unit 18 indicating thatnetwork resources are saturated and available resources are required fora high-priority connection.

Path analysis unit 34 is operable to receive information regarding arequested connection, determine the required routers 24 and othernetwork resources required to establish the connection, and determinewhich terminal units 18 are utilizing the resources required toestablish a requested connection. Details of path analysis unit 34 aredescribed in conjunction with FIG. 2.

Certificate server 22 includes certificate generator 28. Certificategenerator 28 is operable to generate a priority certificate based onpriority information, as will be discussed in more detail below.Certificate server 22 is in communication with call manager 20 and isoperable to receive priority and other information from call manager 20and to send a priority certificate and other information back to callmanager 20. In other embodiments, certificate server 22 may also be indirect communication with each of terminal units 18. In anotherembodiment, certificate server 22 may also determine the appropriatepriority for the connection based on the called party, performing someor all of the functionality of path analysis unit 34.

Call manager 20, priority module 30, prompting module 32, path analysisunit 34, and certificate server 22, and/or other components of privatenetwork 12 may comprise logic encoded in media. The logic comprisesfunctional instructions for carrying out programmed tasks. The mediacomprises computer disks or other suitable computer-readable media,application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gatearrays (FPGA), digital signal processors (DSP) or other suitablespecific or general purpose processors, transmission media or othersuitable media in which logic may be encoded and utilized.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating details of path analysis unit 34.In one embodiment, path analysis unit 34 includes desired pathidentification module 40, required resources identification module 42,and resource usage analysis module 44. Desired path identificationmodule 40 is operable to receive information regarding a requestedconnection, and to determine a best or other suitable path through thenetwork resources for the requested connection. For example, desiredpath identification module 40 may be operable to identify the routers 24and other network resources, such as gateway 26, network trunks, andother associated network resources that a requested connection between aparticular terminal unit 18 and a destination unit 18 will require. Asused herein, “require” means to be allocated sufficient resources toensure at least a minimum quality for the connection. Desired pathidentification module 40 is further operable to communicate the desiredpath to the path analysis unit 34.

Required resources identification module 42 is operable to receiveinformation regarding the path through the network resources of aparticular requested connection, and is further operable to determinewhich network resources are available and which network resources arecurrently unavailable. Once the bottleneck is identified, the requiredaction to free resources may be calculated. Required resourcesidentification module 42 is further operable to communicate to the pathanalysis unit 34 information regarding the resources required for thedesired path to establish a connection as well as the presentlyunavailable resources required to establish that connection.

Resource usage analysis module 44 is operable to receive informationregarding the desired path of a requested connection and informationregarding the resources that are required, but presently unavailable, toestablish the connection. Resource usage analysis module 44 is furtheroperable to identify currently established connections using theresources required to establish a requested connection, sometimesreferred to as a “bottleneck.” Resource usage analysis module 44 isfurther operable to transmit information regarding presently establishedconnections utilizing resources required to establish a requestedconnection.

While priority module 30 and path analysis unit 34 have been describedas attached to call manager 20, they may be separate components attachedto private network 12 or otherwise placed as required throughout theprivate network 12. Further information regarding the details of thepresent invention, and in particular the methodology by which thepreviously described components interact in order to provide adestination-based call priority, will be discussed in conjunction withFIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for assigning callpriority in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Themethod begins at Step 100 where a request to establish a connection isreceived. This step may be performed by call manager 20 of privatenetwork 12, but in other embodiments may be performed by othercomponents as required. Next, at Step 105, a path through privatenetwork 12 to establish the requested connection is determined. Thisstep may be performed by path analysis unit 34 as described above inFIG. 2.

Next, at decisional Step 110, a determination is made whether adequateresources are presently available to establish the requested connection.Also at Step 110, a determination is made as to the resources requiredto establish the requested connection that are presently being used byother, lower-priority connections. This step also is ordinarilyperformed by path analysis 34 but, like Step 105, other components ofprivate network 12 may make this determination as required or asnecessary based on the particular configuration of private network 12.If sufficient resources are available to establish the connection, theprocess continues along the Yes branch of decisional Step 110 to Step115 wherein the connection is established. Step 115 is ordinarilyperformed by call manager 20 and terminal devices 18. After establishingthe connection, the process ends.

If sufficient resources are not available to establish the requestedconnection, the process continues along the No branch of decisional Step110 to decisional Step 120. At decisional Step 120, a determination ismade whether the destination terminal unit 18 of the requestedconnection is a priority destination. Step 120 is ordinarily performedby priority module 30, wherein the destination terminal unit 18 ischecked against the priority destination list 36. If the destinationterminal unit 18 is not a priority destination, the process continuesalong the No branch to Step 125. At Step 125, the ordinary processing ofcalls along private network 12 is performed. Such processing mayinclude, for example, playing a busy signal to the user operating theorigin terminal unit 18, queuing the connection and playing a ringsignal, or other similar methods of indicating that sufficient resourcesare not available to establish the requested connection. After normalprocessing at Step 125, the process ends.

If, at decisional Step 120, it is determined that the destinationterminal unit 18 is a priority destination, the process continues alongthe Yes branch to Step 130. At Step 130, priority is granted to theestablished connection to network resources. This Step may be performedby call manager 20, but may also be performed by any of the individualcomponents of private network 12 depending on the particular networkconfiguration. Priority may be granted to the requested connection in avariety of ways. Non-limiting examples include: increasing the priorityof the call to computer processing unit (CPU) threads processing ahigh-priority call; increasing the priority of network voice packetsrelative to other packets; increasing the priority to access gatewaytrunks relative to other connections destined for terminal units 18located outside of private network 12; increasing the Class of Service(CoS) or Quality of Service (QoS) parameter for the call; and increasingthe priority to access network bandwidth for voice quality relative toother connections. As mentioned above, these increases in priority maybe performed by call manager 20 as call manager 20 establishes therequested connection. The priority increases may also be performed byindividual components of private network 12, for example at the routers24 or gateways 26.

The process continues at Step 135 where resources are made available toestablish the priority connection. The resources that are required toestablish the requested priority connection, but are currently in use byother resources as determined at Step 110, are at Step 135 madeavailable to establish the connection. In one embodiment, one or morenon-priority or low-priority connections are simply preempted orterminated in order to provide resources required for the requestedpriority connection. In another embodiment, however, one or moreexisting connections may be deprived of part of their bandwidth orcertain network resources without requiring that the existingconnections be terminated.

Thus, in an alternate embodiment, resources may be made available forthe requested priority connection without terminating any existingconnections. For example, the voice quality of an existing connectionmay be degraded in order to free bandwidth available to establish therequested connection. Alternatively, the voice quality of the requestedpriority connection may be maintained at a high level, while allowingthe voice quality of non-priority connections to deteriorate withoutterminating the non-priority connections. In another aspect of theinvention, if a resource that is required to complete a high-prioritycall is busy, the system would queue the call for the resource. As theresource frees up, the system would allocate the resource for thehigh-priority call.

In still another embodiment, prompting module 32 may notify users ofterminal units 18 with existing connections that a high-priorityconnection is being attempted and that resources are needed to establishthat high-priority connection. For example, the prompting module 32 maya play pre-recorded message to the users of the terminal units 18 thatare consuming resources required to establish the priority connection.That message may, for example, be phrased, “A high-priority call isbeing attempted. Please terminate your call as quickly as possible tofree needed network resources.” Or, “The voice quality of your call maydeteriorate as some of the bandwidth you are using is reclaimed for anemergency related call.” Or, “Your call is about to be preempted. Pleaseterminate within five seconds.” It will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art that other phrased messages may be employed dependingon the network configuration and the authority of the network to reclaimresources being used. Alternatively, prompting module 32 may directterminal units 18 to display a message or a flashing light or othermeans of notifying the users of terminal unit 18 that a high-prioritycall is being attempted and that network resources must be madeavailable to establish that requested connection.

The process continues at decisional Step 140, wherein a determination ismade whether sufficient resources are now available to establish therequested priority connection. This step may be performed by callmanager 20 through path analysis unit 34, or otherwise performed by acomponent of private network 12. If sufficient resources are notavailable, the process follows the No branch, returning to Step 135,described above, wherein additional resources are made available. Ifadequate resources are now available to establish the connection, theprocess continues along the Yes branch to Step 145. At Step 145, therequested priority connection is established and the process ends.Alternatively, the requested priority connection may be placed at thefront of a queue for the next available resources.

An alternative embodiment for assigning call priority is described inconjunction with FIG. 4. Referring now to FIG. 4, a method for assigningdestination based call priority begins at Step 200 where a request toestablish a connection is received. This step may be performed by callmanager 20. Next, at decisional Step 205, a determination is madewhether the destination terminal unit 18 is a priority destination. Thisstep may be performed by priority module 30 and priority destinationlist 36, as discussed above. Alternatively, this step may be performedby certificate server 22. Thus, at the first leg of the call, the callgoes to a priority establishment server and based on the variousparameters such as caller ID, destination priority, etc., the server mayattach a priority certificate to the call, as described below.

The priority destination may be determined in various ways, generallydescribed above in connection with the priority destination list 36 andStep 120 of FIG. 3. If at decisional Step 205 the destination terminalunit 18 is not found to be a priority destination, the process ends. If,however, it is determined that the destination terminal unit 18 is apriority destination, the process continues along the Yes branch ofdecisional Step 205 to Step 210.

At Step 210, a priority certificate is generated according to thepriority for the destination terminal unit 18, determined at decisionalStep 205. This step may be performed by certificate server 22, viacertificate generator 28. The certificate may be generated based onrelevant priority parameters such as, for example, the identification ofthe user requesting the established priority connection, the relativepriority of the destination terminal unit 18, and any other parametersrelevant to the routing of the requested connection.

Next, at Step 215, the priority certificate generated at Step 210 istransmitted to the source requesting the priority certificate forprocessing. This step may be performed by certificate server 22transmitting the priority certificate back to call manager 20 forfurther processing. In an alternative embodiment, the certificate server22 may transmit the priority certificate back to the originatingterminal unit 18—that is, the terminal unit 18 that requested thepriority connection—or, to the call manager 20 for concatenation with acall setup packet. If the call originates from a terminal device 18 ofPSTN 16, the priority certificate is sent to the gateway 26 throughwhich the call entered the private network 12.

Next, at Step 220, the priority certificate is appended, added, orotherwise coupled to the packets associated with the requestedconnection. In one embodiment, the priority certificate is appended tothe beginning of all packets associated with the requested connection asa prefix. Other uses for the priority certificate may be employed asrequired by the particular configuration of private network 12.

In an alternative embodiment, the individual terminal units 18 may beconfigured to perform the functions of the certificate server 22. Inthis embodiment, the terminal unit 18 determines the priority of thedestination (Step 205), generates the priority certificate (Step 210),and attaches the certificate to the relevant communication packetsassociated with the requested connection (Step 220). To accomplish thisfeature, the list of priority destinations may be downloaded from acentral depository to the endpoints as part of the bring-up of theendpoints.

Next, at Step 225, the packets associated with the requested connectionare processed in accordance with the priority certificate attached toeach packet. In one embodiment, only connections requested to highpriority destinations receive priority certificates. In this embodiment,the components of private network 12 are configured so as to recognizethe priority certificate and to allocate network resources accordingly.

In another embodiment, priority certificates are generated for eachrequested connection, regardless of the requested connection's relativepriority, and appended to each particular call packet associated withthe requested connection. In this embodiment, the network components areconfigured to recognize the priority certificates and allocate networkresources in accordance with the relative priority indicated by thepriority certificates of all network packets processed by thatparticular component. Thus, the various network elements, such as therouters, the PBX, the caller's phone device, the gateways, etc., cangive a call its designated priority based on the certificate attached toit. The process ends when the packets are processed.

Although the methods described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 havebeen described with a particular number of steps in a particular order,the steps may be performed in any order appropriate to the networkconfiguration. Furthermore, steps may be omitted, or additional stepsadded, in accordance with the requirements of the particular network.

Although the present invention has been described with severalembodiments, a myriad of changes, variations, alterations,transformations, and modifications may be suggested to one skilled inthe art. It is intended that the present invention encompass suchchanges, variations, alterations, transformations, and modifications asfall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for assigning call priority in a packet switchedenvironment, comprising: receiving a request from an internet protocolphone within the packet switched environment to establish a connectionto a dialed number, the internet protocol phone having a wiredconnection to the packet switched environment; determining a priorityfor the connection based on the dialed number; generating a prioritycertificate based on the priority; attaching the priority certificate tothe communication packets of the connection; establishing the connectionbased on the priority; monitoring use by an end-point of connectionshaving an augmented priority; and modifying the priority of theconnection based on the monitored end-point use of connections having anaugmented priority.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingprocessing the communication packets based on the priority certificate.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the certificate provides thecommunication packets with a higher priority to CPU threads processingcommunication packets for the connection.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising increasing the priority of network voice packetsassociated with the connection relative to other packets.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the certificate provides the communication packetswith a higher priority to access gateway trunks relative to otherconnections.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the certificate providesthe communication packets with a higher priority to access networkbandwidth for voice quality relative to other connections.
 7. The methodof claim 1, further comprising notifying network users of a need to makeresources available for a high-priority connection.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining whether adequate resources areavailable for the connection to maintain a first quality of servicelevel; if not available, pre-empting other connections to free upresources for the connection; and establishing the connection using thefreed-up resources.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein freeing upresources comprises downgrading the quality of service parameters of theother connections.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprisingnotifying affected users that their connections are subject topreemption.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whetheradequate resources are available comprising: determining a path for theconnection; and determining whether adequate resources are availablealong the path based on the first quality of service level.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining if adequate resourcesare available for the connection; and if not available, queuing theconnection as first to receive resources as they become available. 13.The method of claim 1, further comprising queuing higher priorityconnections; and pre-empting connections with a lower relative priority.14. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining resourcesrequired to establish the requested connection and provide theconnection with priority to the needed resources.
 15. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: identifying currently establishedconnections using resources required to establish the requestedconnection; and preempting the connections using the required resourcesto establish the requested connection.
 16. The method of claim 1,further comprising monitoring network resources to determine whensufficient resources are available to establish the requestedconnection.
 17. A system for assigning call priority in a packetswitched environment, comprising: a means for receiving a request froman internet protocol phone within the packet switched environment toestablish a connection to a dialed number, the internet protocol phonehaving a wired connection to the packet switched environment; a meansfor determining a priority for the connection based on the dialednumber; a means for generating a priority certificate based on thepriority; a means for attaching the priority certificate to thecommunication packets of the connection; a means for establishing theconnection based on the priority; a means for monitoring use by anend-point of connections having an augmented priority; and a means formodifying the priority of the connection based on the monitoredend-point use of connections having an augmented priority.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17, further comprising a means for processing thecommunications packets based on the priority certificate.
 19. The systemof claim 17, wherein the certificate provides the communication packetswith a higher priority to CPU threads processing communication packetsfor the connection.
 20. The system of claim 17, further comprising ameans for increasing the priority of network voice packets associatedwith the connection relative to other packets.
 21. The system of claim17, wherein the certificate provides the communication packets with ahigher priority to access gateway trunks relative to other connections.22. The system of claim 17, wherein the certificate provides thecommunication packets with a higher priority to access to networkbandwidth for voice quality relative to other connections.
 23. Thesystem of claim 17, further comprising a means for notifying networkusers of a need to make resources available for a high-priorityconnection.
 24. The system of claim 17, further comprising: a means fordetermining whether adequate resources are available for the connectionto maintain a first quality of service level; a means for pre-emptingother connections if not available; and a means for establishing theconnection using the freed-up resources.
 25. The system of claim 24,further comprising a means for downgrading the quality of serviceparameters of other connections.
 26. The system of claim 24, furthercomprising a means for notifying affected users that their connectionsare subject to preemption.
 27. The system of claim 24, wherein the meansfor determining whether adequate resources are available comprising: ameans for determining a path for the connection; and a means fordetermining whether adequate resources are available along the pathbased on the first quality of service level.
 28. The system of claim 17,further comprising: a means for determining if adequate resources areavailable for the connection; and a means for queuing the connection asfirst to receive resources as they become available, if resources arenot available.
 29. The system of claim 17, further comprising a meansfor queuing higher priority connections; and a means for preemptingconnections with a lower relative priority.
 30. The system of claim 17,further comprising a means for determining resources required toestablish the requested connection and provide the connection withpriority to the needed resources.
 31. The system of claim 17, furthercomprising: a means for identifying currently established connectionsusing resources required to establish the requested connection; and ameans for pre-empting the connections using the required resources toestablish the requested connection.
 32. The system of claim 17, furthercomprising a means for monitoring network resources to determine whensufficient resources are available to establish the requestedconnection.
 33. A system for assigning call priority in a packetswitched environment, comprising: a computer-readable medium encodedwith computer executable logic; and a computer for implementing thelogic to receive a request from an internet protocol phone within thepacket switched environment to establish a connection to a dialednumber, the internet protocol phone having a wired connection to thepacket switched environment, determine a priority for the connectionbased on the dialed number, generate a priority certificate based on thepriority, attach the priority certificate to the communication packetsof the connection, establish the connection based on the priority,monitor use by an end-point of connections having an augmented priority,and modify the priority of the connection based on the monitoredend-point use of connections having an augmented priority.
 34. Thesystem of claim 33, wherein the logic is further operable to process thecommunication packets based on the priority certificate.
 35. The systemof claim 33, wherein the certificate provides the communication packetswith a higher priority to CPU threads associated with the connection.36. The system of claim 33, wherein the logic is further operable toincrease the priority of network voice packets associated with theconnection relative to other packets.
 37. The system of claim 33,wherein the certificate provides the communication packets with a higherpriority to access gateway trunks relative to other connections.
 38. Thesystem of claim 33, wherein the certificate provides the communicationpackets with a higher priority to access network bandwidth for voicequality relative to other connections.
 39. The system of claim 33,wherein the logic is further operable to notify network users of a needto make resources available for a high-priority connection.
 40. Thesystem of claim 33, wherein the logic is further operable to: determinewhether adequate resources are available for the connection to maintaina first quality of service level; preempting other connections to freeup resources for the connection if not available; and establish theconnection using the freed-up resources.
 41. The system of claim 40,wherein freeing up resources comprises downgrading the quality ofservice parameters of other connections.
 42. The system of claim 40,wherein the logic is further operable to notify affected users thattheir connections are subject to preemption.
 43. The system of claim 40,wherein logic is further operable to determine whether adequateresources are available comprising logic operable to: determine a pathfor the connection; and determine whether adequate resources areavailable along the path based on the first quality of service level.44. The system of claim 33, wherein the logic is further operable to:determine if adequate resources are available for the connection; andqueue the connection if not available, as first to receive resources asthey become available.
 45. The system of claim 33, wherein the logic isfurther operable to: queue higher priority connections; and preemptconnections with a lower relative priority.
 46. The system of claim 33,wherein the logic is further operable to determine resources required toestablish the requested connection and provide the connection withpriority to the needed resources.
 47. The system of claim 33, whereinthe logic is further operable to: identify currently establishedconnections using resources required to establish the requestedconnection; and preempt the connections using the required resources toestablish the requested connection.
 48. The system of claim 33, whereinthe logic is further operable to monitor network resources to determinewhen sufficient resources are available to establish the requestedconnection.